PH among 10 worst countries for workers’ rights, study says
The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) on Monday affirmed the result of a study presented by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), saying that the Philippines, under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is among the 10 worst countries for workers’ rights.— Davao Today

Duterte urged to sign mental health bill into law
In light of the recent suicide cases involving international celebrities, Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to sign into law the Mental Health Act which seeks to provide help to Filipinos suffering from depression and other mental health issues up to the community level.— PTV News

Gov’t universities sign on to terms of free tuition law
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Wednesday witnessed the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement (MoA) between the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and state and local universities and colleges, thereby launching the implementation of Republic Act 10931, which provides for free tuition at these schools.— BusinessWorld Online

Duterte won’t stop TRAIN
Suspending or scrapping the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law will undermine the delivery of basic services, President Duterte said yesterday as he defended the implementation of the controversial tax measure, widely blamed for soaring prices of commodities.— Philippine Star

DTI allows 90 days for ease of doing business IRR approval
THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it is fast-tracking the drafting of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the newly signed Ease of Doing Business law and has a 90-day timeline for its approval.— BusinessWorld Online

Group challenges PH withdrawal from ICC
A second petition challenging the constitutionality of President Duterte’s notice of withdrawal of the Philippines’ membership in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court was filed with Supreme Court yesterday.— Tempo

Study confirms higher risk of dengue in kids who got Sanofi vaccine
An analysis of data on Sanofi’s dengue vaccine, which has been given to more than 800,000 school children in the Philippines, confirms it increases the risk of hospitalization and severe dengue in those who had never previously been infected with the mosquito-borne virus.— Business Insider

Electronics industry eyes 10% corporate tax – Seipi
THE Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc. (Seipi) is seeking for the sector a corporate income tax (CIT) lower than that proposed under the second package of the government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program.— The Manila Times

Banks ready to fund infrastructure projects—BDO Capital
Banks are ready to come in and finance the Duterte administration’s ambitious “Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure projects should they encounter any “funding delays,” according to a high-ranking official of BDO Capital and Investment Corp., the investment banking unit of BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender in the country.— Manilastandard.net

Gov’t partially awards seven-year bonds
THE GOVERNMENT made a partial award of reissued seven-year Treasury bonds (T-bonds) on Tuesday even as the rate inched higher as concerns on inflation lingered ahead of the policy meeting of the US central bank.— BusinessWorld Online

Woman, son yield P163 million shabu in tea bags
Anti-narcotics operatives confiscated at least P163 million worth of high-grade shabu packed in Chinese tea bags from a 61-year-old woman and her son during a drug bust in Manila on Tuesday night.— Philippine Star

BIR exceeds collection target for January-May 2018
For the first five months of the year, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) collected PHP827.91 billion. This is PHP24.91 billion more or 3.10 percent higher than the goal of PHP803 billion set for the period.— Philippine News Agency

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Philippines morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Philippines news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Stella-maris Ewudolu

Stella-maris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Education from Ebonyi State University, Nigeria in 2005. Between November 2010 and February 2012 she was a staff writer at Daylight Online, Nigeria writing on health, fashion, and relationships.
Since 2010 she has worked as a freelance screen writer for 'Nollywood', Nigeria.